2. What Fears You Don’t Conquer Today Will Return Tomorrow. Fear tolerated becomes faith contaminated. What you don’t face today will stalk you tomorrow. The spirit of fear disguises itself as “wisdom” to keep you safe—but stagnant. Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s movement through it. Fear’s power ends where faith begins.
In “Lessons Learned from CrossFit,” Dr. Milton K. Smith draws spiritual and personal growth principles from the discipline of physical training. CrossFit becomes a metaphor for life, faith, and perseverance. The chapter emphasizes that growth—spiritual, emotional, or physical—requires commitment, courage, consistency, and flexibility. Smith uses relatable examples from his own fitness journey to reveal timeless truths about conquering fear, embracing discomfort, and focusing on personal progress rather than comparison.
Each “lesson” in this chapter mirrors a training principle that also applies to the Christian walk: facing fears, enduring pain, addressing internal “knots,” and learning to stretch beyond one’s comfort zone. The CrossFit box becomes symbolic of challenges we all face in life—the box we must eventually “jump on” to grow stronger. The message is clear: transformation is possible when we commit, confront, and continue, even when results seem slow or painful.